Kathmandu, April 22: The 2026 World Press Photo Contest has announced its winners for the West, Central, and South Asia region, featuring powerful visual stories documenting conflict, displacement, and social upheaval across several countries.
Among the selected works is “Nepal’s Gen Z Uprising” by Narendra Shrestha of the European Pressphoto Agency, which captures protesters setting fire to the Singha Durbar in Kathmandu during September 8 and 9, 2025 unrest.
Other winning entries include “Aid Emergency in Gaza” by Saber Nuraldin, showing Palestinians struggling to access food supplies, and “A Daughter’s Grief in Kashmir” by Yasir Iqbal, which portrays deep personal loss following shelling in the region.
Elise Blanchard’s “I’m Afraid: Afghan Women Face US Aid Cuts” documents childbirth in remote Afghanistan amid declining humanitarian assistance, while Nicole Tung’s “A Syrian City Rebuilds, Still Divided” for The New York Times highlights ongoing reconstruction in Deir al-Zour.
Saher Alghorra’s “Witnessing Gaza”, also for The New York Times, captures Palestinian detainees and prisoners arriving at Nasser Hospital after release from Israeli custody. Diego Ibarra Sánchez’s “Hijacked Education” focuses on the disruption of education in conflict-affected regions.
The awarded photographs collectively document scenes of protest, grief, displacement, and survival across Nepal, Gaza, Kashmir, Afghanistan, Syria, and other conflict-affected areas, reflecting the human cost of war and instability.
The World Press Photo organization said the selected works aim to highlight pressing global issues through visual storytelling, bringing attention to communities affected by violence, political unrest, and humanitarian crises. #Nepal #PressPhoto
Who is Narendra Shrestha ?
Narendra Shrestha is a senior photojournalist from Nepal. He studied at the International Institute of Journalism in Berlin, Germany, and began his career working for several national daily and weekly publications before joining the European Pressphoto Agency (EPA) in 2003.
Shrestha has documented key moments in Nepal’s recent history, including the Maoist insurgency (1996–2005) and the People’s Uprising in 2006.
His international assignments have included coverage of the Australian Open tennis championships (2014, 2015 and 2018), the APEC Summit in Beijing (2014), and the G20 Summit in Hangzhou (2016). He also covered the world’s highest-altitude cabinet meeting held at Everest Base Camp in Nepal (2009).
Photo Courtesy: World Press Photo
